Changing Hogwarts—Literally
by Fairywm
Summary: As the chosen heir to Hogwarts, Harry feels it would be more cost effective and safer if the school was a little smaller and brighter. then came the war.


15 of 15

 **Changing Hogwarts** **—Literally**

 **Thanks to my lovely beta, (who beta-ed the first draft) LadyLini, for all her help in making these easier to read for you, my readers. The new story is beta-ed by darrelldeam and alix33. All mistakes are still my own.**

 _This is a rewrite of the same story that's in 'Little of this, more of that'. I'm redoing most of them. You can find them on my profile._

 _Okay, when I reread this one, I was appalled at how many errors it had. It was harder to rewrite because of them. If you see any plot holes, let me know and I'll fix it._

 _You should check out my profile, I almost always have a poll going. I know at the time of this posting there is a new one._

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

 **Hphphp**

Since Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he had been hearing a voice whisper excitedly in the back of his head. At first he tried to hear what it was saying, but he couldn't quite understand it. The voice offered him comfort when he had nightmares, just a vague murmur in the background, but it did calm his fast beating heart and soothe his fears. He didn't think it was malicious, so he waited to see what happened.

During his second year, the voice got louder and more excited. However, with all that happened that year, and with the hissing that only Harry could hear as well, he started to ignore it. The soft voice got sad and dimmer. When the year ended, it was just a very faint niggling. Harry wanted to listen and cheer it up, but with Ron and Hermione telling him that he would be seen as insane, he let it fade.

Then third year came and when he pulled off the Patronus Charm, he felt the voice get elated, and once more started to pay attention. Unfortunately, Sirius happened and once more it was shuffled to the background.

During his fourth year, when he was most stressed due to his name coming out of the thrice-damned goblet, Ron's betrayal, Hermione's nagging, outflying a dragon, and trying to find a date for the Yule ball, he took to wandering the halls at night under his invisibility cloak.

It was around midnight, two weeks before the ball that he was wandering the seventh floor, trying to avoid Filch and his vindictive cat. That's when he felt a pull to go to the end of the corridor and stand in front of the wall across the tapestry of the man trying to teach trolls to dance. He stared blankly at the wall until he heard the low voice tell him to start pacing, so he did.

A door appeared next to him, and he opened it. Inside, there was a room with two comfortable chairs, a small coffee table and a roaring fireplace. In one of the chairs sat a teenage girl, she didn't have a student robe on; instead, she wore a simple woven dress, straight out of the Founders' time. Her hair was midnight black, and her eyes were like the summer sky. She looked at Harry as he cautiously sat down across from her.

"Finally," she said with a small smile. "I've been trying to get you here since you first crossed my wards." She looked very happy to see him there, but pouted a little that it had taken so much time.

"Um, sorry," Harry said with a frown. "Not to be rude or anything, but who are you?" he asked, looking her up and down. He knew she wasn't a student or a teacher and couldn't figure out who she could possibly be.

The girl giggled. "I'm Hogwarts," she said with a bright smile as if it were obvious. "You may call me Lady, or Lady Hogwarts," she offered with a bob of her head.

Harry's jaw fell, and the gobsmacked look on his face made her giggle harder. "How is that possible?" he asked, shocked. "I mean, I guess magic and all… but why has no one spoken of you before? You were… um, built, I guess, over a thousand years ago. Not even Hermione has said anything, and she's read all about Hogwarts." Then he blush, and stuttered, "Harry… you can call me Harry."

"It is wonderful to finally meet you, Harry," she said with a grin. Then Lady Hogwarts sighed and raised her hands in a defeated manner. "I know, you've never heard of me, but I was once a very well-known entity. However, when the Founders' families decided they didn't want to stay in the castle and moved to Hogsmeade, they lost touch with me. As the years went by, I became nothing more than a rumor. When no heir talked to me, I faded to nothing but a whisper in the breeze. I have tried to talk to the heirs throughout the years, but they ignored me, not wanting to seem crazy, like you did in your second year. Though I do understand why, it still hurt a bit. We were getting so close to meeting." She gave a small shrug.

"Sorry," the male teen mumbled.

She waved the apology away. "When you heard my murmurs and tried to talk back, I got excited and woke up a little bit more. The reason I need an heir to talk to is that, though the Headmaster, or Mistress, control the wards, they've don't regulate of the castle itself. There was a time that I was asked to rearrange the castle to suit the needs of the times." She clapped her hands at the very thought. She loved reforming; it gave her a sense of purpose.

"Ummm, okay," he said slowly. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Do you mean that you're the one who moves the staircases and relocates the hospital wing?" Harry asked as his brow creased with confusion.

"Kind of like that, yes, but those things are a smaller extent of what I'm talking about," the dark-haired girl answered as she tapped her chin. "Let me see if I can give an example. When the Founders first created me, I was a fortress. I could defend the inhabitants of the castle by completely sealing myself off. It was very trying times," she stressed.

Harry nodded his head; he could see the need to protect the students. If he remembered correctly that was a time of civil unrest.

"As time went by," she continued, "and such strong measures weren't needed, I change to a thing of beauty instead. For the first two hundred years or so, I changed shape five times. Then, like I said, the descendants stopped talking to me, and the Headmasters never had that control," Lady Hogwarts explained, waving her hand in the air to show pictures of the five different forms she had taken. "Eventually, when I faded, the magic used for the changes stayed in the air with no one to regulate it. That's why there are so many things that still move on their own."

"Yeah, I can see that. So what do you need from me? I'm not a descendant of any of the Founders, no matter what was said in my second year." Harry was greatly confused; he had no idea why this… girl would talk to him. He was just Harry.

"Oh, but you are. You are descended from Godric," the girl informed him, giggling at his shocked face.

"There's no way!" the boy all but shouted. "Someone would've told me by now. Besides, after all these years, there have to be loads of people who are older and more qualified than me," he argued. Then he remembered what Dumbledore had once said in his second year. That only a true Gryffindor could use the Sword of Gryffindor, but that couldn't mean he was actually _from_ that family line. It just showed he had all the traits the House inspired. Didn't it?

"Sure, there are. Haven't you been listening?" she huffed, folding her arms across her chest, making Harry realize she was indeed a girl.

"I was listening," he defended himself, looking at her face.

"Then you would have heard me when I said I've tried to speak to every one of them. There are five here in Hogwarts as we speak, one is even in your dorm, but I'm not telling you who. There are sometimes twenty heirs in this castle at once, but they have never answered like you did. Some of them tried, but when they told their friends, they were encouraged not to. You mostly stopped when your friends told you something like that in your second year. My heart almost broke because I was so close to waking," she informed him with a sad shake of her head. "That, and you've always felt like this was home to you; they didn't."

"Look, I already said I was sorry," Harry said softly, trying not to snap. "Sorry, but this is all very hard to believe. I get that you are certain that what you're telling me is true, but you still didn't answer my question. What do you want from me?" he stared intently at the girl, willing her to answer. He didn't hold much hope though, since no one ever really answered his questions.

"You really don't listen, do you?" she huffed again. "I want you to ask me to change the castle to suit its current needs. It's been over 800 years since I've been of service, and I'm bored." She pouted.

Harry thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head. "I'm going to need to ask a bunch of people what they think. I don't want to just change the castle without input from others, that's a bit selfish. Plus, this isn't something I need right now, what with all the crap going on in my life. Give me at least a month, and I'll come back," he all but pleaded, not wanting to upset her, but really with all that was happening to him right now… no, she'd have to wait.

She gave him a look of pity. "I understand. I had hoped to warn you about the person who put your name in the goblet, but since I hadn't fully woken I couldn't see who it was," she sighed and hoped he understood. "I just knew that they were thinking badly about you and putting you into danger. I know you heard all my warnings throughout the years. I had prayed that you would've tried harder to hear me so that I could be of more help to you."

"That's okay, I'm sure you tried," Harry said with a shrug. Then, switching from the uncomfortable subject, he asked, "Where are we anyway? This room isn't on the Marauders' Map."

The representation of Hogwarts started to bounce, once more showing she was in the form of a teenage girl. "This room is the Room of Requirements, or the Come and Go room. Rowena set it up so that studious learners could come here for quiet. They could bring up any room they felt comfortable in and have any book that has ever passed the wards show up here. They can't take any out because they are just a magic copy, but they can learn anything they want."

"That was a wonderful idea, but couldn't that be used for bad?" Harry asked, thinking of what Voldemort could do if he knew about this room.

The shoulders of the female representation of Hogwarts drooped and a sad look crossed her face. "You're right, about 300 years ago, an up and coming Dark Lady learned everything she needed to gain her power. When she was questioned, before she was executed, she told them about this room. The Headmaster of that time deemed it necessary to wipe the knowledge completely from everyone's mind, since he couldn't destroy the room. I wouldn't let him, even faded as I was. He even used this room to find out how. Now, the only time anyone comes in here is if they find it by mistake, or they are lead here by me. Well, the house elves use me all the time, but they hardly ever bring anyone here," she added with a small smile.

"Well, I can understand why he'd do that." Harry said distractedly as his mind went over whether or not he should tell Hermione, not that he thought she'd use it wrong, but he'd never get her to leave. He gave out a great yawn and said, "Anyway, I have to get back to my dorm. I don't want to get caught." He glanced at his watch and his eyes widened when he noted the time.

"Oh," she said, her face brightened as she bounced out of her chair and went to the walls, "I can make a door that goes straight to your bed." She waved her hand and a door appeared. "Just step through, and when you are in your dorm, it will fade."

Harry stepped through the door, after saying his goodbyes, and wound up right next to his bed. He looked behind him, and the door faded.

 _Damn,_ he thought as he changed into his night clothes, _just another thing to do. Maybe it will come in handy when I need to take a break from Hermione and Ron. I might go to the room and see if it can help me with the second task. Merlin knows, I_ _'_ _m not making any headway_. _I need to think about what she wants. I think that, in order to do this correctly, I_ _'_ _m going to need the whole school's opinion. I don_ _'_ _t want anyone to feel left out. How am I going to do that?_ With those thoughts, he went to bed and dreamed about the castle changing shape.

About a week went by, and Harry finally found a date for the ball. The Patil twins were kind enough to go with him and Ron. With that off his mind, he went back to the Room of Requirements and asked for a room that would teach him to dance. He really hoped so, McGonagall said he and his date danced the opening dance with the other champions. He really didn't want to embarrass himself.

The Lady Hogwarts was standing in the middle of a room that had a shiny wooden floor and loads of mirrors on the walls. There was waltz music playing gently in the air. She was dressed in a grey and green formal gown. It had a high neck, long sleeves, and the bodice was tight around her girlish figure. The skirt fell to the floor and it made flowing motions, like there was a wind that Harry couldn't feel. It was all very pretty.

"I will be more than happy to teach you to dance," she said with a giggle, knowing what he needed by the room he requested.

"Ummm, right, thanks," Harry said, looking at her dress and wondering how Hermione would look in it, or Ginny, or Cho, or just about any girl he knew. It really was a nice dress.

"Well, let's get started." She held out her arms, ignoring his roaming eyes. She held her right arm in the air, as if to grab his shoulder, with her left in front of her, as if to grab his waist.

"Ummm, what do I do first?" Harry asked, standing just out of reach of her arms. His face was a mass of confusion, and he felt really stupid, but it's not like the Dursleys ever taught him anything. He did vaguely recall seeing people dance on the telly, but that was ages ago.

"First, you position your arms in the opposite direction of mine. That's right. Now step closer, and put the first hand on my shoulder, the second on my waist. I'll do the same," the young lady instructed.

Harry did as instructed, blushing the whole time. Besides Hermione he had never been close to a girl. It was a different experience, and proved he was all boy. He tried to keep it in check by looking at her face, so he didn't humiliate himself. That proved to be a very good idea.

"Now, because you're learning, I'm going to lead, and you just feel the music and follow along," she said as he got into position. The music started anew then she tried to lead him around the room. The next two hours could only be termed a disaster, but they plowed on. Finally, Harry was allowed to leave. However, he was told to come back the next night, after curfew. This continued for the next week. Harry was quite a good dancer now—at least, he thought he was. Well, he wouldn't make a fool of himself and his date.

When she asked what his date was wearing, and he didn't have an answer, Lady Hogwarts had chastised him for not thinking kindly of the girl who had agreed to go with him. She told him that Parvati could be heard saying that she was so happy to go to the ball with him. Both she and her sister, Padma, had been worried that no one would ask them because they were foreigners. To say they were both elated that Harry and Ron asked was a bit of an understatement.

The boy felt bad; he had only asked her on a whim and hadn't really thought about her after. He swore to himself that he was going to do his best to make it a good night for her. He made sure that he could change his robe color to match her dress. Hermione helped.

The ball went well. He and Parvati danced all night, and he even danced with her sister. Ron, on the other hand, didn't have as good a night. He fought with Hermione, even though Harry told him not to. The redhead then turned around and fought with Harry as well. He even fought with his date. Finally, a professor told him to leave, much to everyone's relief. Ron had glared at Harry when he didn't go with him.

Harry had simply shrugged; it wasn't his fault that Ron was such a git. Sometimes he wondered why he stayed friends with such a hotheaded person. Then he remembered that Ron was his second friend and did stick with him up until this year. Still, he did desert him when his name came out of the Goblet. He'd have to reevaluate his friendship with the redhead.

The second task was approaching, and Harry still hadn't figured out the egg. He had put off going to the Room of Requirement, hoping that it was something he could do himself. Disappointed, he went to the Room, and it provided him with a large bathtub, a chair, and a table with books that he would need to accomplish his task.

Lady Hogwarts wasn't there, and the teen sat at the table and pulled the first book toward himself. It made him feel a little better that the answers weren't simply handed to him; he still had to study to find them. It took hours to find it. When he took a bath and heard the poem—he panicked. He didn't know how to swim.

"Silly Harry, remember that's what I'm here for." Hogwarts appeared in the tub with him, causing Harry to freak out.

"Ahhhh, what are you doing?" He jumped out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and held it in front of him.

"You're so much fun," she giggled, stood up, and showed off her old-fashioned bathing suit. It covered her from neck to ankles. "There's really no need for you to be so modest. You're covering all the good bits."

"Lady, don't say that. You're like a thousand years old," Harry said, breaking one of the sacred taboos: **Don** **'** **t remind a woman of her age.**

Hogwarts glared at him, and then sighed, "Teenagers; no tact at all." She threw her hands into the air.

Harry blushed and mumbled, "Sorry."

"It's okay. I understand. Go stand over by that wall so I can change the room." She gestured to the wall by the door.

Harry grabbed his egg and complied and watched as the room morphed into a large swimming pool. The chair and table moved closer to him, and new books appeared.

"These books will help you figure out how you can stay underwater for an hour or more. Study them first, and in an hour we will start your lessons," the Lady said, waving to the tomes. She then faded and left Harry to his studying. She'd come back when he was done reading, to make sure he didn't drown.

The swimming lessons went better than the dance lessons had. Harry reckoned that gillyweed would be his best bet and sent Hedwig off to get some from Diagon Alley. When he told Hermione, she shocked him by once more saying they should take it from Professor Snape's office. He told her that he had it covered.

The second task was completed, with Parvati as his hostage. Ron was upset again that he wasn't something Harry would miss the most. The youngest champion believed that it was because they weren't talking, not after the disaster that had been the ball. The redhead blamed Harry for his bad night, no matter how much the youngest champion enjoyed the evening. Ron would really have to get his priorities straight if he wanted to continue to be the dark-haired teen's friend. Harry wasn't holding much hope.

Harry made another friend, Fleur, by rescuing her sister. The other two champions completed their task unhindered. Weeks after the task, the young wizard and the Patil twins were hanging out and studying with Hermione. This caused his network of friends to grow as the twins brought more people into the group.

Now that his stress was reduced, he started thinking about how he was going to get everyone's opinion on changing the castle, without telling them about Lady Hogwarts. An idea came to him, and he went to the kitchens to recruit the house elves.

Right before Easter break, pieces of parchment appeared on the plates in front of the students after dinner. They said:

 _ **If you could, how would you change the castle?**_

 _ **Think of your dorms and common rooms, and write your changes below.**_

 _ **Think of the ways it would be easiest to get to your classrooms, and write your plans below.**_

 _ **Think of all the things you hate about the castle (too cold, not enough windows, position of the classrooms and the dorms…, etc.), and write them below.**_

 _ **Any changes you think would benefit you, write below.**_

 _ **Don**_ _ **'**_ _ **t worry about putting your name on the paper. Fill it out the best you can, and leave it on your plate. It will disappear when you are done. Try and fill it out before the professors pick it up. This is a survey for the students, not the staff.**_

The sound of scratching quills filled the room as most of the students quickly filled the form out. As soon as they were done, they put them on their clean and empty plates, and then the parchment disappeared. Some weren't fast enough, and the list of questions was taken from them. There were loud protests as the form was snatched out of their hands. Many wanted to see what this was all about, but if the professors stopped then they'd never know.

The elves had orders from Lady Hogwarts to place them in the Room of Requirement and not tell the professors or Headmaster where they were. Harry figured more than five-sixths of the students got to finish. That would be more than enough to get a general idea of what everyone wanted. It would take some time to go through it all, but he had Lady Hogwarts to help him.

Dumbledore stood and addressed the Great Hall, "I see someone has played quite the prank. Does anyone care to confess?" No one said a word, and Harry made sure to keep a confused look on his face. He too had filled one out, just to throw off attention. "It distresses me that someone feels the castle is not perfect. I do not know the reason anyone would play such a prank. Alas, what's done is done. Students, think no more of it. Off you trot; it is getting close to curfew." He waved his hands in a shooing motion, and the students did as bid, but not without a lot of grumbling.

Over the break, Harry and Lady Hogwarts went over the forms and got the gist of what the students wanted. "Lady," Harry said as he finished making notes, "I think I have a plan now. If we reduce some of the empty rooms, the elves won't have to clean them. So, we get rid of the top floors and make the castle smaller. There really is no need to have all this space. There are tons of empty classrooms just sitting there gathering dust," he said, going over his list.

"That does make sense," she nodded and pointed to the map she drew in the air. "We can cut the number of floors down to five and still have empty space for future students." And the drawing shrunk as if to show what she was talking about.

"Yeah, and if we reduce the number of windows, that will cut down on the drafts, then we won't need to use as much firewood. Perhaps adding some glass would help as well," he stated rhetorically, giving her a questioning look, which made her blush at the oversight.

"Well, really, glass wasn't popular 800 years ago," she huffed and waved her hand to add the glass to the drawing.

"Right," Harry said and looked abashed. "Now, I think we can also add gardens to the courtyards, to reduce the amount of vegetables that the elves have to buy," he moved on. "We might ask them to serve more fruits and vegetables and reduce the amount of meat. It would be good for the students to eat a better balanced diet anyway." His mind was going over ways to make the castle more efficient. The house elves worked their spindly hands to the bone trying to keep this huge place clean. Plus maybe Filch would be in a better mood if he had less to do.

"Those are really good ideas! Let's plan," Lady Hogwarts said, and together, the two bent their heads over the table and started planning.

After the third task, Harry had almost forgotten about the Hogwarts renovations, due to Voldemort's return. Then, he heard the whispers of a fearful Hufflepuff, Sally Anne Perks, wondering if the castle was safe enough to come back to. Harry remembered her from his sorting; she was right before him. She looked like she never wanted to step foot in the wizarding world again.

She must be a Muggle-born. If I were in her place, I don't think I would come back either. Oh Merlin, Hermione must be losing her mind with worry. Merlin, I'm such a selfish person, the teen thought suddenly. He then had an idea and ran to the Room of Requirement to talk to Lady Hogwarts. We need to change the plans a little—there was going to be a war.

When he got to the Room, Lady Hogwarts was waiting. Her hands were going around and around in a wringing manner, as she fretted about how emotional he was. She had tried to get him to come and visit her, but his mind was on other things. Now, she was glad he was here.

He all but burst out with his idea. "I want change the plan so it will fit with a battle ready castle. Do you know the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked quickly, not wanting to waste any more time. "'Cause if you do that will help a lot. The Chamber can be used as a last place to stand, but we'll have to figure out how to change the password."

"Salazar hid it from me, and I couldn't feel it until one of his heirs opened it 800 years ago." She shrugged, feeling better now that Harry had plans. "I guess the charm to hide it from me wore off. It was at that time, though, that I started drifting. Changing the password is easy, all you have to do is reset it in English, but I think that might not be a good idea. We have no way to pass on the new one to anyone else without revealing me, and I don't want that to happen. If the Headmaster knew about me, then he'd try and take control," she said, starting to fret again.

"Okay, well it was just an idea, I'll rethink it over the summer. Here are a few more of my ideas," Harry said, beginning to draw with a pen and paper that the room provided. "Let's get the house elves to kick everyone out— including the Headmaster— over the summer, and then you can start to change. If you need extra material, you can get the elves to go get if for you. But with what I'm planning, you should be able to use what's left from the changes." He hurriedly sketched his new ideas on the paper.

Along with the changing of the plan of the castle, Harry asked for books he could take home and study. He needed to be prepared; he was Voldemort's number one victim. If he could study and learn then he would be better able to protect himself and his friends. He would have to get with his study group, which had grown since he and the Patil twins became friends, and let them know what was happening.

Hogwarts pulled books from the professors' shelves and taught Harry how to copy them. She didn't want to lose the only person who had spoken with her in the last 800 years.

The students and the staff all went home that year with a note that stated thus:

 _ **To the occupants of Hogwarts:**_

 _ **I know you are scared. Even if you don't believe that You-Know-Who is back, you should still learn all you can to defend yourself and your family. This note, however, is not about that. This note is to tell you that Hogwarts will be preparing for war this summer and will be the fortress it needs to be to protect you and your families next year. If you can get your families to take the time off to live here, space will be provided for them, including the Muggles.**_

It wasn't signed, and the staff was going crazy trying to find out who sent it. They were shocked that someone invited non-students to reside in Hogwarts. They did everything to try and prevent it, but the wards changed, and they were powerless. The Headmaster was upset that someone had control over his castle. Everyone was evicted that summer, except the house elves.

The summer progressed normally for Harry. He studied the books he had taken home, careful not to actually do any magic. When the first chill of the Dementors came, he grabbed Dudley and ran for the nearest house. He banged on the door and the people inside saw the two frightened boys and let them in. The coldness covered the house for two hours before it went away. A team of Aurors came and erased their memories; Harry had no idea how they knew. The Aurors escorted the boys home and explained to the fuming Dursleys what had happened. A week later, Harry was at Sirius's house, and no trial was held because Harry had used no magic.

He and his friends did argue over the lack of communication, but other than that Grimmauld Place was dead boring. He did enjoy talking to his godfather and hearing stories about his dad. ;;he could have done without the cleaning, though.

A week before summer ended, the staff returned to Hogwarts, they were shocked by the changes. They tried to undo them but couldn't, which frustrated them to no end.

The wards now had an added ill intent ward, so Dolores Umbridge couldn't enter the castle. She was furious. Even Snape was detained, but he finally got through after telling the castle that he had no intentions to hurt the students. He felt really silly talking to the air, but it was instinct. He always knew that blast castle was conscious.

Dumbledore had to explain to the Ministry that he had no control over the castle anymore. They didn't take it well. He was scrambling to find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He was finally able to convince Minister Fudge to let him have an Auror teach. Fudge was slightly mollified by the fact that there would be someone who could report to him. Too bad for him, he choose Kingsley Shacklebolt.

When the students got off the train and started to the castle they stopped and stared. The castle was narrower, shorter and had no windows. There were only five floors, the towers had been reduced to four (though they had all seven floors), and the building was square with a huge courtyard in the middle. There was a wall that surrounded the castle completely; the Forbidden Forest was blocked off.

There was a large map at the entrance, showing the way to the new Great Hall. The students were amazed by how light it was in the entrance, and the light continued to shine throughout the halls. The Hall looked the same, so everyone sat where they normally had. On the table in front of them was another map, showing them the way to their common rooms. There were descriptions and warnings on that paper, and many students were gossiping about what it all meant.

The Slytherins were no longer in the dungeons, because there were no dungeons. The area where the dungeons had been was now the kitchen and storage area. It was blocked off from everyone except the staff. The students would no longer be able to sneak snacks; you could hear many groan at that. The Slytherins now had a tower, just like everyone else. Theirs was the one on the north-east side of the castle.

The Hufflepuffs had received a similar treatment. The basement had been changed to suites for the refugees. That particular part of the castle was blocked off from the rest with its own dining hall. The Hufflepuffs were in the south-east tower with an entrance on the ground floor.

The Gryffindors were still in the same tower, the north-west, but the tower's entrance had moved to be closer to the castle's main door, on the main floor like the other towers.

That left the Ravenclaws on the south-west tower. They also had a ground floor entrance.

The Chamber of Secrets was the last bolt hole in case the castle was entered. During the summer Harry figured out that they could get in the room through the Room of Requirements. He had changed the password to English and it was 'God save the Queen'. He thought it rather fitting; no Death Eater would ever figure it out.

After the sorting, Dumbledore stood and asked for silence. "As you can see, the castle has changed. We don't know how or who did this, so please do not ask the professors. The maps you have in your hands will show you to your dorms and classes. Please note that the greenhouses have been moved to the enlarged courtyard. Care of Magical creatures will be there as well. It seems as though whoever did this does not want anyone to roam the outside of the castle. However, there are gardens surrounding the courtyard and the top of each of your towers has an area where you can go to relax. Hogsmeade weekends have not changed, except that you will now go in carriages instead of walking. Now, enough of an old man's rambling. Let's eat." He clapped his hands, and dinner appeared on the table.

The students ate amongst whispers and rumors. Soon, they were being led by their House ghosts to the new dorms. The halls were well lit, which was odd, as there were no windows, and it was night. It was also much warmer since there was no draft.

"Sir Nicholas, do you know what happened to the castle?" Hermione asked as she kept watch on her charges. She had been made prefect.

The ghost didn't turn to answer; instead, he moved back a little since Hermione was in the front of the line. "Yes, but we are sworn to secrecy. If the person that did this wants you to know, he or she will tell everyone at the same time." He shrugged his transparent shoulders and held up his hands in a 'what can you do' motion.

"Oh, okay. Thanks anyway," she said disappointedly. Then she looked up at the ceiling and noticed the runes engraved in to the stones. They were the sun and light runes. Well, she thought that explains the light. She then turned back to her charges and followed Sir Nicholas. Ron had also made prefect, but he was chatting with Seamus and Dean. Harry was talking with the Gryffindor Patil twin and Lavender Brown.

The Gryffindor tower looked much the same. It was positioned differently, and the light that was in the halls was now in the common room. Every student found their rooms hadn't changed, when they went to their dorms.

Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were different, because their rooms were now layered up instead of out.

Hermione studied the map. "It looks like all the non-wand studies are on the North side of the castle and on the first floor, except Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. The wand magic classes are on the East side and also on the first floor. The West side of the castle looks to be the teachers' area. It doesn't say what the second through fifth floor are for. I wonder how we're going to do Astronomy now that that tower is gone." She worried her lip; this was just too much change with too little explanation.

"I think it's great. No more climbing the stairs to Divination and Astronomy. We only have to go up one flight of stairs for those. I hated all those stairs; did you notice they don't move anymore?" Ron said, relaxing in a chair by the fire.

"Yeah," Harry said from his chair next to Ron. The redhead had written that he was sorry he acted like such a berk, and that he would try and be a better friend. They actually talked it out at Sirius's place. Harry felt he'd give him one more chance, but that was all. If the youngest Weasley male started acting like a git again, then he was going to end that friendship. "I like the wall around the castle. I think it will serve us well when the war breaks out," he added, looking around the room.

The dark-haired wizard had expected to be shunned again what with all the papers were saying about him. Maybe the note had done some good. That or they were just too shocked to worry about the rumors. He could feel the new wards and Lady Hogwarts, who was feeling smug, and they made him feel safe.

The trio continued discussing the changes for a while more, but soon everyone was too tired and they went off to bed.

The next morning, armed with their maps, the students went to breakfast, wondering what else had changed. Classes progressed normally, and a lot of the students were talking about the survey they had taken last year. Many of them made comments about how this was what they wanted and how much easier it was to get to their classes. Especially the two in the courtyard; many students were astounded by that particular feature.

The only class that was held outside the castle, but inside its outer wall, was Flying class; it was held on the Quidditch pitch. That too was easier to get to because of the pathway leading there. There were torches that were lit at night to lead the way, as well.

Two weeks after the start of school Harry went to the Room of Requirement and talked to Lady Hogwarts. "This is wonderful!" he shouted with glee, his face lit up by a radiant smile. He grabbed the giggling girl and twirled her around the room. "Almost everyone's dreams of what the castle should look like have come true. How are we going to get the parents to come? Should we send an invitation? Do you think we can get Sirius here? I know he hates where he is at now." The time he spent with his godfather was laced with sadness. The poor man felt like he was in prison, since the Headmaster wouldn't let him leave the house.

"Yes, I blocked off the fifth floor on the south side just for the Order of the Phoenix. You should write to the Headmaster and let him know. Then write to Sirius, and tell him that if Albus doesn't listen, he can sneak in the way he did before, and an elf will lead him to where he needs to go," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. She was ecstatic that she could finally help her charges once more.

"It's too bad that we can't control what classes are taught. Some English and Math classes would be great," Harry said with a small sigh.

"Why can't we?" Lady Hogwarts asked with a frown.

"You mean we can? That's wicked." Harry brightened.

"Sure, just ask the Muggles that will come here. I'm sure there are a few of them that are teachers. Have them set up in the south classrooms, and make it optional. Kids can go during their free periods. I can provide the books needed. I'll just have an elf get them." She shrugged as if it were obvious.

"You're the best. Let me start writing the letters. I can take money out of my account to pay anyone who teaches. I don't want them to do it for free," Harry said, smiling at what he thought Hermione would say.

"Why don't you just use the school fund?" She asked, her brow scrunched up in confusion. She never really understood why this boy always thought he had to handle everything himself, well except for the survey.

"Isn't that controlled by the Governors?" he asked, equally confused.

"No," she said firmly. "It is controlled by the person in charge of the castle, and that's you. Well, and the Headmaster, so you will have to tell him what you are doing. But I think he'll agree, since he's been trying to get those classes in here since he started teaching. Just don't tell him about me, explain that you read about being an heir from somewhere. Actually, here, here is a book that you can use. Just copy it and show him the relative passages," she added and waved her hand and a book appeared.

"Okay, I'll make sure to put that in the letter." Harry grabbed the book, copied it and sat at the table that appeared. He tucked the book in his bag and then took out the parchment and ink he needed, and started writing.

A month later, the lower floor was filled with refugees. The attacks on the Muggle world had a lot of people scared. The ones that couldn't take time off of work got to Floo from The Three Broomsticks to the Leaky Cauldron and continued on from there. They had to wear a charm that would let them back into the castle, but it only worked for them. The letter they received before they came explained that they couldn't interact with the students, except on the weekends, so as not to interfere with their studies.

Harry's fifth year was uneventful. He still had visions and dreams, but because Sirius was in the castle, he knew the last vision was false. He had plenty of time to study for his OWL's and had taken some of the Muggle classes in his spare time.

The first time Snape tried to read his mind, he was knocked out for a week and never tried again, thanks to Harry's summer studies and Sirius and Remus, who was also staying there, took it upon themselves to teach him _Occlumency_ during the weekends.

The dark-haired teen had checked the Marauders' Map to see if it updated—it had. He used it to make sure no one got through the wards, like Pettigrew. He didn't think they could, but he knew that he could never be too careful. It was posted above his bed and he checked it constantly.

Harry, Sirius, Remus, and the Weasleys stayed in the castle with most of the other refugees that summer. The Dursleys declined the invitation and moved out of Britain to the United States, where Vernon received a promotion. Harry never saw them again. Dumbledore finally gave in and let him stay with Sirius.

Draco wasn't allowed back in the sixth year because of the ill intent ward. Voldemort was furious. All his plans to kill Harry and Dumbledore were foiled. Harry never knew what happened to the boy, but when he saw him next, after the war, the Malfoy heir was limping and required a cane.

When Dumbledore was cursed by the ring, he smartened up and told the Order about the horcruxes. Because there were so many wizards and witches in the Order, they found or brought all the horcruxes back.

Sirius made Kreacher give him the necklace, Bill got the cup (he returned some goblin-made trinkets to them as a trade) and removed the one in Harry. Harry retrieved the diadem (and tasked the house elves to sort through the Room of Lost Things), and Snape poisoned Nagini.

Voldemort found out that all his horcruxes had been destroyed, but he couldn't make another because his soul was too unstable and might leave his body with no anchor. He made plans to take the castle if it was the last thing he did. And it was.

The battle between Voldemort and Harry was hidden behind a golden dome. Only Harry emerged. With the changes of the castle, the refugees (who formed a small army with Muggle weapons) and the Order staying there, the only people lost were a few of those who fought. None of the teachers and only a few of the Order died.

Pettigrew was captured, and Sirius had his trial.

The war was over, and Lady Hogwarts wanted to know if she should change again. So she called Harry to the Room of Requirement. "Harry," she said as they had both gotten comfortable in the room they first used, "do you think we should change the castle again, now that the war is over?" there as a hopeful look on her face, she never liked being battle ready. It was depressing.

"I think you should add some windows, to the outside and perhaps a few more doors. But other than that, I've heard nothing but good things. Leave the suites for now and maybe we can set up a weekend program for the parents who want to visit their kids," Harry replied, sinking deeper into the chair.

He hadn't slept much in the last month. Everyone wanted him to tell them about his battle with Voldemort, but he wasn't talking. Plus, Dumbledore was dying, and that made everyone sad, so sleep wasn't coming to a lot of people. Harry now had all of the Hallows and was considered the Master of Death, but that's a different story.

So the only changes after the war were the windows added to the outside. A few more doors on the side of each wall were added. A gate was formed to the Forbidden Forest for Hagrid to perform his duties and get animals for his classes, though he was upset when some were not let in.

Life went on at Hogwarts; the only sad thing that happened was the death of the Headmaster. A new one was found, an older man from Ireland, who had applied over the summer. He kept the Muggle classes and found new people for the Head of Houses, so that the professors could focus on their other duties.

All and all, it worked out for the best. Harry wrote to the Daily Prophet when he graduated and told his story about the castle's changes, leaving out his name. He suggested that they find a way to do heritage tests on children to see if they were the next heir. He didn't tell them about the ROR, but said to listen to the voice.

Because he did so well in his studies, the only Potter became the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the curse having lifted with the death of its caster. He lived in Hogwarts with his wife, Ginny, and his children (none of whom were named Albus Severus) until he was 110 years old. He continued to control the castle and its wards along with the other heirs. A committee was formed between them, and they met in secret.

Lady Hogwarts never let anyone with ill intent in, so she had no issue with evil people trying to control her. She maintained this form for 300 years until another war broke out, but that's a different story.

 **Hphphp**

 _This has the potential to be a larger story, and I may come back to it one day. If you want to take it further, then by all means have at it. Just drop me a link so I can read it._


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